


Roommates

by lostsometime



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Character Study, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-06 19:52:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14655000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostsometime/pseuds/lostsometime
Summary: “You know, I think you are the best roommate I’ve ever had!”





	Roommates

It comes up as they’re getting ready for breakfast one morning at the Leaky Tap – Jester looks at her and says, “You know, Beau, I think you are the best roommate I’ve ever had!”

Beau rolls her eyes, making sure Jester is watching her expression as she does so.  “I’m the _only_ roommate you’ve ever had, Jes.  You told me that yourself.”

“Well.  Yes.  But even so! You are an extra _super_ -good roommate.”

Beau thinks she knows what this is about.  Jester had gone to bed early  the night before, taking a glass of milk up to their room to drink while she drew her daily pictures to the Traveler, while Beau stayed downstairs and drank ale with the others (‘Like a _normal person_ ,’ Beau thinks).  She had opened a window to air out the stuffiness of the room, but by the time Beau went up to bed, Jester was asleep and the room had gone from ‘pleasantly cool’ to ‘actually pretty chilly’ with a side of ‘surprisingly windy.’  It wasn’t a hardship for Beau to just reach up and close it.  She didn’t want to sleep in the cold either.  And if shutting the window also _happened_ to ensure that the wind didn’t topple the remainder of the milk in her cup all over Jester's carefully-curated sketchbook, well, that’s fine too.

It’s not worth mentioning, of course, that the night before that, Beau had found Jester’s bottle of expensive ink left open and fastened it with the cork.  Better than listening to Jester complain about it drying out, it’s not like closing a bottle of ink is _hard_ or anything.

Also not worth mentioning was the way Beau had added ‘checking on Jester’ to her night’s routine.  It’s just that, between her restless legs and very energetic tail, the cleric winds up tangled in her blankets sometimes, and it’s only the work of a moment to tug them straight again.  It’s not like she’s going _out of her way_ or anything, doing these things.  Jester just has really low standards.

It’s not until they’ve gotten settled at their table and ordered breakfast (eggs and bacon for Beau, the usual pile of pastries for Jester) that Beau nudges Jester with her elbow and remarks, “You are too, y’know.  Best roommate I’ve ever had.”

Jester’s face lights up, and then turns suspicious.  “Am _I_ the only roommate _you’ve_ ever had, too?”

“You’re actually not.  I’ve had uh…” Beau does a quick mental tally, “three others, I think. Yeah. No, wait – no, yeah, three.”

Their food is served and as she takes a huge bite of her doughnut, Jester asks, “How am I better than them?”  She somehow manages to _chew_ expectantly.

“Fuck, I don’t know.  It was at the Cobalt Soul, y’know, they were, like, monks and shit.  They don’t like me over there.  Buncha sticks up their asses.  Rooms were assigned, and after like a week they’d get sick of me and ask to be moved.  After I scared the third one off, I think they kind of gave up. It would’ve been nice, you know, having my own place, more room for my shit, if I, like…. had shit.”

“You don’t, um, want your own place now, do you?  Only, if you get more stuff I could definitely probably make more room!  I’m only all spread out because you, um, you don’t have a lot.  You know you can borrow any of my things if you want!”

“That’s sweet, Jester.  I don’t think any of your clothes are exactly my _style_ but it’s a nice offer.  Nah, this works for me.  If I have a problem, you’ll know about it.  Trust me.”

“I think probably _everybody_ will know if you have a problem.”

“Exactly.”

At that moment, Nott and Caleb walk into the tavern, with Fjord and Molly not far behind, and Jester begins excitedly waving them over to the table (as though this wasn’t their usual table, as if they needed the guidance) and the barmaid comes back over to see what they want for breakfast, and soon the conversation has turned to making plans for the day.  Beau chimes in long enough to place a vote for “finding another job listing that involves fighting a thing,” and sits back to let the others work out the details.  She should remember to tell Fjord later, she thinks, that she managed a compliment without shoving her foot _entirely_ in her mouth. 

Or maybe she won’t. Maybe she’ll keep the conversation between them.  Roommate-to-roommate.


End file.
